Scream in the Night Full
by adorathao
Summary: My full version of Scream in the night is finally up!


Umm, this is a BleachxInuyasha crossover; it is Ichigo&Kagome just to let you know. I'm not very good at describing clothes, so leave it up to your own imaginations. Oh… and I think it's a bit fluffy…And like always, thanks for reading!

I do not own Bleach or Inuyasha or the song. The song is Tattta Hitotsu no

Yakkusoku sung by the Japanese voice actor for Kagome. I was really surprised when I found this out, so I just had to use this song when it seemed as if it was following along with the story. I was just so shocked, well enough of my ramblings, on with the story!

_**I will do whatever it takes**_

_**To keep my self from**_

_**The feeling of losing something important to me**_

_**Never again do I want to feel that pain of loss…**_

"Gyaah!" A terrified voice shouted into the night. A petite, midnight haired, high-scholar shouted as she was chased by a strange black creature. It was dark out and the wind was blowing haphazardly. Out of the darkness between the lampposts came a loud roar that chilled her to the bone. The sudden silence after the roar terrified her, something was going on. 'Damn, if only it were a youkai! Which rises the question, what the hell is that thing?!' she shouted mentally to herself as she continued running. 'And I just had to scream too! What if someone decided to come and help me?! They'll die if anyone comes… then again who would come at two in the morning on a Wednesday night?'

Why was she even out so late?! Oh yeah, that would be the weird aura surrounding the square… and she just had to go check it out. Stupid curiosity!

The sudden feeling of a foot crashing into the ground surprised her. The force of the impact sent her flying. "Ooof!" she shouted as she crashed into a lamppost. There was going to be a bruise in the morning for sure. The thing came rushing at her when suddenly a black clothed figure came to a halt in front of her. She never noticed the approaching presence until it appeared in front of her.

As if in slow motion, she saw the thing take its attention off of whatever it was trying to fight. It turned to the orange haired man in black and prepared itself to charge.

"Run!" she shouted as the thing charged at the person in black. Jumping up, she shoved him out of the way. He gave a surprised grunt and fell. Knowing that even if she did choose to run, she would be too slow to avoid it, she stood her ground and glared at it as it finally reached her after what seemed to her like an eternity. It slashed her side open as she was falling back from the tackle. Her last sight as she passed out was a long black cape, and oddly orange hair, 'Did he dye it like that?' Kagome thought as she hit the ground with a solid thump.

"So, you're telling me that there's a hollow in the square?" Ichigo asked as Rukia dashed along side him.

She gave him the look, the look that asked, 'what do you think moron?' "Did you not hear that scream?"

"Well, I heard it, but today's also senior prank night," he tried to reason, "They tend to pick on girls, especially new ones."

"Fine, even if that were true, why would we be able to feel this spirit pressure?"

Ichigo didn't answer. Five minutes ago Rukia had barged into his room saying that a loose hollow had appeared. As if to prove her point, a loud shriek rang through the area. One thing was certain, if the scream did come from Kaito Square, whoever screamed had a large pair of lungs on them. He had switched forms as soon as the scream ended abruptly.

So now they were charging in the direction of the poisonous spirit pressure, hoping that whoever had screamed was still alive. They arrived to see a long midnight-haired girl go crashing into the lamppost.

"That's gotta hurt…" he mumbled to himself as she stayed down.

Rukia shouted at him panicked, "Ichigo, you take care of the girl, I'll get rid of the Hollow!" He nodded to her as he changed course to the girl. Ichigo was caught by surprise when it seemed as if the Hollow was tired of playing with Rukia.

It charged towards him. He simply stood there unable to do anything. The girl was intently staring at where he and the Hollow were positioned, so he couldn't pick her up and run. He couldn't kill it either, because it would cause the girl to probably lose her mind at the sight of so much blood. But if he chose to run, she would most likely die. So Ichigo was once again caught off guard when the girl he had thought couldn't move from the spirit pressure, jumped up suddenly, and crashed into him, effectively pushing him out of the way. "Run!" she had screamed as she shoved him out of the way.

Ichigo didn't mean to, put he couldn't help but notice her posture as she shoved him out of the way. Instead of cowering in fear like many did when faced with near certain death, she stood her ground and braced herself. She wouldn't have gotten away even if she ran, but the fact that she was willing to accept the probability of death surprised him. Such a small creature, filled with so much courage. Oddly enough he noticed that she was actually very pretty. Her long blue-black hair reached the end of her skirt, pale pink lips, and large innocent blue eyes that were filled with determination finished off the look.

He winced as her side was slashed open. Just as the Hollow was about to slash again, he jumped in its way and slashed it apart with the Zengetsu. Ichigo was breathing harshly, having forgotten the girl that was lying on the floor bleeding.

"Ichigo! This girl needs help quick!" Rukia told him worried. She had run to the girl when the Hollow was destroyed and was worried at the state she was in.

The girl was unnaturally pale; her forehead was bathed in sweat. "We can take her home to Dad."

Rukia nodded her head. Ishin was the girl's best chance. So flash-stepping their way to the little clinic Ishin had bought, they knocked on his door.

"What's taking him so long?" Ichigo wondered as he changed into a white tee and black long khaki's.

"No clue." Precious seconds ticked by. "That bastard! What's taking him so long?!" Ichigo shouted as he slammed open the door.

Kagome groaned. Her head felt like a huge marshmallow, while she felt as if she had been driven over by a bulldozer. She looked down at her injured side and was unprepared for the sight of the bandage around her torso. Kagome slowly sat herself up, clenching the sides of the bed in agony as she felt her side stretching uncomfortably.

She stood breathing deeply. Her hair was all lank and greasy, other than that, she was still covered in her own blood. 'Oh no, what happened to that guy?!' she panicked to herself as she felt herself going lightheaded with all of her worrying. 'Wait, how about a nice hot bath first?' she sighed as she crossed the hallway in search of a bathroom to clear her out of her confused thoughts.

"She's up!" Yuzu cheered as she saw Kagome walking in the hallway. Kagome tilted her head in confusion. Who was this girl? Finally noticing that the house wasn't her own and she wasn't apparently dead, where was she? Taking a quick look around as the cute blond haired girl shouted for everyone to come into the living room, her eyes stopped on a picture of an orange haired boy and, his mother, she guessed. Now where had she seen that hair before?

"Yo, so you awake?" Kagome turned towards the boy who was in the picture. He still had bright orange hair, and it was probably natural she thought to herself. Definitely the rebellious type, but not a delinquent.

Kagome turned to him and nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm alright… but is she?" Kagome asked pointing at the little blondie who was currently lying on the floor exhausted from all of her screaming.

"Yeah, she's alright, same old Yuzu," he grumbled.

"Instead of simply standing there flirting, why don't you ask if the pretty lady standing there needs anything?" Inshin scolded as he entered the room, "How could a son of mine be so uncourtious?" he asked himself. Just as Ichigo was about to knock his father out, a soft noise caught his attention, Kagome was laughing softly into her hands, her eyes closed with her face tilting slightly to her left.

Finally she looked up, her eyes shining with tears of laughter, "No, it's alright. He's been very kind, along with your daughter." She smiled gently at Inshin and bowed. "Um, sorry for being a bother, but can you show me to the bathroom?" Kagome asked awkwardly unsure of where she was.

"Sure, Karin show the lady-"

"Kagome," She supplied.

"Right, show Kagome where the bathroom is." Ichigo ordered walking into his room.

The black bobbed girl, Karin, sighed and beckoned for Kagome to come. Skipping to her side, Kagome followed as Karin led her to the bathroom. "Extra towels are in that cupboard, and the soap's in the drawer to left."

Kagome sighed as she was left alone. Getting out some unscented soap, she walked into the shower. She winced as the bandage clung to her skin as she slowly peeled it off. Gasping in slight pain, she let some of the water drip over her. Quickly, she scrubbed herself, and washed her hair. She rinsed out the soap and replacing it with conditioner she waited about five minutes before rinsing it out. When she declared herself nice and clean, she decided it was time to finally take her relaxing bath. Turning on the faucet, she waited until the water filled three-fourths of the tub, and was a bit on the hot side, she slipped in. Letting out a happy sigh as the water soothed her aching muscles, she sunk in even lower until the water lapped at her chest above her breasts.

Kagome started humming as her hair tickled the inside of her thighs. Finally she stood up and emptied the tub. She wrapped the fluffy white towel in the cupboard around herself. Kagome looked around for her clothes when she suddenly remembered.

"Oh, they must have changed my clothes when I got here…" she mumbled to herself as the memory of being in bloody clothes compared to the nice and clean ones she had woken up in. Kagome opened the door a little, ah! Yuzu was walking down the hallway singing to herself.

"Yuzu-san, psst, Yuzu-san!" she whispered.

"Hai Kagome-chan?" Yuzu asked turning to her.

"Ano… it seems that I don't have any clothes to wear…" she told Yuzu lamely, lowering her head in shame, 'And I thought I was such a big girl too…'

"Ah, upstairs last room to the right in the hallway is where your clothes should be," Yuzu laughed as she went past Kagome to the living room.

"Nice kid…" she told herself as she went into the room Yuzu told her to go into. Opening the door, Kagome shivered. Looking around she noticed a small stuffed lion in the corner. She could have sworn it was staring at her. Shaking off her stupid imagination, Kagome went into the closet to change. "Err; maybe changing in the closet isn't such a hot idea…" Kagome mumbled to herself as she saw it stuffed full with futons. Instead turning towards the door, she looked back as she felt the odd gaze; the lion was in the middle of the room, staring up at her.

She screamed.

"You do know this girl doesn't have a family right? She also will be in danger now that the Hollow informed the rest of them about her being here. This girl also seems to be able to see hollows and shinigami if she pushed Ichigo out of the way. That and the fact that she's absolutely normal, so she won't be able to defend herself," Captain Hitsugaya informed them all.

Ishin nodded, "We can ask her to stay with us, and we can try to keep an eye on her."

"You do know this'll be one more dead weight for you Ichigo?" Hitsugaya asked Ichigo seriously.

"I know, but I can't ignore that-"he was abruptly cut off by a loud shriek. It was distinctively Kagome's scream, so he took off upstairs. Vaguely he noted that she was in his room. As he slammed the door open, he was greeted with the sight of a naked Kagome besides the towel. She glared at him as he looked at her.

"I swear that thing's stalking me!" she told him before turning away blushing. Ichigo forced the others out of his room before turning to what Kagome was pointing at. He gave a low growl before picking up Kon by one of his ears.

"Don't worry, he's not, "Ichigo assured her as he stalked out of the room. Shutting the door behind him, Ichigo lifted up the squirming Kon and glared at him.

"Please don't hurt me Ichigo! I didn't really see anything, and I'm really sorry" Kon pleaded as he wiggled even harder.

"Sorry my ass," he growled as he walked into Yuzu's room. "Just for that, I'm handing you over to Yuzu for the weekend."

If possible for a stuffed tiger, Kon paled even more, "No, anything but that!" he shuddered remembering how she made him wear a frilly pink dress the last time he had really upset Ichigo, "Admit it, you liked the sight too, I saw you staring!"

Ichigo blushed at that, okay so he did stare a little bit. It would've been a sin to not stare at such a perfect body. "That's not the point; you don't just sneak up on changing women!"

"Aw, you would've done it if you were me too!" Kon accused. Giving an angry roar, Ichigo threw Kon up until he hit the ceiling. "Poor me…" Kon whimpered as he lay on the floor.

"Stupid Kon, stupid Kon, stupid Kon…" Ichigo mumbled to himself unaware of Kagome jogging to catch up to him.

"Ano….who's Kon?" she asked once she reached his side looking up at him as she walked backwards so she could talk to him face to face.

"Nobody," he told her grumbling.

"Ah…" she said looking down but still walking backwards. They walked like that for a bit, neither of them saying anything to the other, but it wasn't uncomfortable per se, just a little… boring. Suddenly her foot caught on a bump in the carpet, as if the world was trying to prove that it wasn't boring at all. Kagome felt herself falling backwards, and prepared herself for a hard fall. Kagome opened her closed eyes in confusion when the fall never came. She looked up to see dark, almost black eyes with the smallest tint of red to them.

Ichigo leaned forward to catch Kagome as she was falling. Her eyes were closed in an obvious gesture of bracing herself for the fall. He was surprised when she opened her eyes and he saw the color of the ocean. Suddenly realizing their close proximity he leaned back, pulling her up with him. Ichigo couldn't help but notice how she was even shorter than Rukia, by a couple of inches, making him about an entire foot taller than her. Kagome's skin was also oddly soft and warm, and without meaning to, he leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

He blushed as he realized what he had done and let her go. Ichigo walked ahead at an even faster place, wondering what in the world had possessed him to do what he had just done. Though he had to admit to himself, if her forehead was that soft, what were her lips like?

Kagome stared at the spot where Ichigo was just at. Her hand went up on its own accord and touched her burning face on the forehead where he had just kissed her. Blushing, she raced after him calling his name in an effort to make him slow down. When she caught up to him, she felt a small gloom come after her. Now what was she supposed to do? He had given her a kiss, was she just supposed to ignore that?

Ishin smiled as he saw the two of them enter the kitchen. Both were blushing, Kagome was touching her forehead and smiling softly, while Ichigo would give her glances. They would make a very nice couple if truth be told.

"I want you as my daughter!" he yelled suddenly as he glomped her. Kagome froze and gave a small eep in surprise.

"Get off of her you perverted old man!" Ichigo shouted hitting his father square in the jaw.

"Urgh, nice punch as always," Ishin remarked putting his thumb and index finger on his chin. "You really shouldn't treat you're father like that too…"

"Kagome you alright?" Ichigo asked her worried for her sanity and also ignoring his father.

"I-I think so…" Kagome trailed off still shocked. Ishin smiled to himself. They would make a very nice couple. As he was watching the two of them converse he was surprised to see that Ichigo would often touch her. Even if it was fleetingly, like on the fingertips or her waist, he also seemed to look at her with softer eyes. Ishin remembered giving his wife the same look himself. 'I think our little Ichigo's found himself a wife…' he thought to himself happily.

"Yo, Dad, Kagome and I are going out to get the grocery, "Kagome turned to Ichigo.

"Ano… I think I need to go home."

"Don't worry, you'll be staying with us, an acquaintance of mine called your mother and father to inform them of your new living arrangements," Ishin called from the background as Ichigo dragged her off.

'Now that I'm with him, I don't know what to say!' Kagome thought to herself a bit worriedly. They were standing at the bus stop for the bus to take them to the other side of the city. It was true that she was nearly fully healed, but her side still hurt, so walking so far wouldn't be a good idea. Kagome was a bit caught off guard when he seemed to notice that she would be stiff after nearly getting caught in half. 'I thought he'd just pull me along anyway like Inuyasha would,' she commented to herself mentally.

She was surprised when she felt a calloused hand hold onto hers. Looking down, she blushed as she saw his hands intertwined with hers. The hand was somewhat tense, so Kagome squeezed gently to show that she was fine with everything. She smiled when she felt a hesitant squeeze back as they waited for a bus to pick them up. It was odd how nice he was, but he still had that bad boy act to him too.

Ichigo kept a small scowl on his face. Kagome wasn't speaking to him at all. She was ignoring him, or she was nervous about being around him for some odd reason. Almost not knowing it, his hand reached down and took hers into his. He intertwined their fingers and waited for a squeeze, something to make him feel like he wasn't a total idiot. He hadn't met to do that, but he'd seem like an ass if he brought his hand away first, that and it did feel a bit nice… Ichigo could've laughed out loud out of relief when she gently squeezed his hand as it was entwined with hers. Never losing his scowl, but blushing lightly, he tentivley squeezed back, watching as a gentle happy smile crossed her face.

The bus came sooner than the small couple expected and they sadly untwined hands. Kagome boarded the bus first, smiling when Ichigo let her go ahead of him onto the bus. Seeing how there were no seats open, she simply grabbed one of the handles and held on as the bus started. The ride was bumpy, and Kagome let out a small Eep when she found herself crashing against Ichigo's blue hoodie. Her forehead was turning slightly red, and she felt bad for continually crashing into the tall guy in front of her.

Ichigo sighed as he felt Kagome once again crash into him when the bus went over one of the many potholes. Unable to bear it anymore, he extended his hand behind him. Wrapping it around her waist, he dragged her over to his side, where he comfortably held her there as the bus continued. Ichigo let a small smile cross his face when he felt Kagome snuggle into him, giving her a small squeeze around the waist, he brought her even closer.

Kagome sighed and snuggled deeper, unaware of the stares she was getting. Ichigo was so nice and warm, like a warm teddy bear. He was also a lot more kind than he let on, not many guys would take the long way and ride a bus when they could get somewhere in about ten minutes. Ichigo was… different from any of the men she had ever met before.

When the bus finally reached their stop, Ichigo let go of Kagome. His hands gave her one last squeeze around the waist before he got off with her once again in front of him.

"Where to?" he asked her.

"Well, when someone say's their going to get groceries, they usually go to a grocery store, "Kagome laughed. He smiled as they walked on.

He tensed suddenly as he sensed a gang of seniors who usually tried to take him on, start to get closer. Ichigo twitched in annoyance, they were an easy bunch, but Kagome was there and she could get hurt during the fray.

"Hey Kurosaki, let's see if you've dullened since summer started," one of them sneered as they reached them.

He was just about to give back a scathing reply when a sudden "Its 'gotten duller' stupid. "Ichigo stared in shock, his mouth open in surprise when Kagome told off one of the lackeys for him.

"Oh, and who is this cutie?" Bakasuke asked checking Kagome over.

Ichigo growled, between grit teeth he threatened, "Leave her alone asswipe." His fists tightened even more when he saw Bakasuke grab her hand.

"Let go of me!" Kagome snarled snatching her hand away.

"Ooh, feisty little thing ain't she?" Bakasuke purred, "If you go out with me, I'll ignore you're rudeness, and let you off the hook for being with Kurosaki."

Kagome swore she turned green. "What, with you of all the people in the world?! I'd rather kiss a pig, no, lick a frog! That's just disgusting! Why would you ever think I'd consider that!" she shouted sounding thoroughly harassed," You know, you're name is perfect for you! You sick bastard!" (Baka-Idiot Suke- very masculine, very much. Bakasuke- Masculine Idiot or Super Idiot)

Ichigo nearly broke something, he was laughing so badly. She just told off one of the most dangerous people in the district! He straightened up as he realized what he had just told himself. Bakasuke looked like he was ready to erupt, so Ichigo, knowing when was the good time to run after being around Kenpachi for so long, decided to make a run for it.

Kagome yelped as she was grabbed from behind and pushed forward at an amazing speed. He was fast, that was for sure. After what felt like an eternity of running, they stopped. Both were breathing very harshly as they tried to catch their breath. "What are you, some kind of track star?" Kagome rasped.

"Nah, but I need to be just as fast," he replied. Kagome nodded her head and set off in the direction they had originally come from. "Where are you going?" Ichigo called out.

Kagome waved back carelessly without turning to look at him. Ichigo gave a small muted growl as she ignored him and just kept walking. Standing straight from leaning on a small lamp post, he followed behind her. Kagome noted how the place seemed familiar for some odd reason. She turned around as she saw a flash of orange. Ichigo was standing across from her with a very annoyed expression on his face. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered small odd flashes. Something had been chasing her, a man with the exact same hair color as Ichigo stepping in front of her….

"Hey Ichigo, have you been here recently?" Kagome asked curious.

Ichigo looked down at her, "Yeah, this is where we always buy our food."

Kagome frowned at him, "No I mean really recently."

"Yeah, Yuzu, Karin and I came here yesterday, why?" Ichigo lied. He believed Kagome wouldn't stop asking him, probably having flashbacks of last night and wanted some answers, so he was a bit suspicious when she went nearly dead quiet. When they finally reached Kaiba Grocer's there was a tense silence between them. Ichigo felt a bit guilty about keeping such a big secret from her, but it would've been even more of a dangerous situation for her if she did know. He continued to let his thoughts go on, not noticing the growing irritation of Kagome.

"What's this?! Five bucks a fish?! What a rip off!" Kagome snarled as she grabbed one and stuffed it into the cart. She frowned slightly when Ichigo didn't laugh or make fun of her. He couldn't have been thinking she really believed his lie. It was so obvious, and he knew it. But seriously! Sure she could be a ditz at times, but she wasn't that thick! Her eyebrows scrunched up as they continued looking through the isles for food that she could cook. Currently, she was going to make sushi, oden, and some tempura.

He still hadn't said a word to her when they had gotten all of the needed materials and were in the cashier's line. 'Men,' Kagome growled to herself as he continued to give her the silent treatment. It had gotten colder outside when they had bought everything. The dull ache in her side was turning into a full out burn as they walked back to the house.

Kagome paused when she noticed a certain long haired girl staring fretfully at Ichigo's house. "'Hime-chan! " Kagome shouted in joy running over the curvy orange haired girl. She had met Orihime in kindergarten when a couple off second graders tried to bully her, keyword tried. After that they stuck together like glue until Kagome fell into the well when she was in middle school. That was when they had separated schools, and everything had taken a turn for the better, or the worse, she still couldn't tell.

Orihime stared at the long haired girl standing next to Kurosaki-kun. Her head tilted to the side as she stared. Those eyes, and eyelashes, that skin tone, and that hair color…."Kagome-chan?!" Orihime shouted back in surprise. The last time she had seen her was in the fifth grade before they had lost contact, gone to different junior highs, and before her hair was so long! The last time she had seen Kagome; her hair had been cut like Tatsuki's, only a bit longer and smother so it lay flat on her head.

Kagome laughed as Orihime charged her, and then panicked. Orihime stopped just in time, nearly toppling over Kagome. "Wow, I haven't seen you in nearly four years Kagome-chan!" Orihime laughed blushing.

"Yeah it has been pretty long…"Kagome smiled gently. She had missed Hime-chan, as she had dubbed her, so much. Orihime had been her best pal when she was young, and so was Tatsuki, where was Tatsuki? "Ano Hime-chan, where's Suki-chan?" Kagome asked looking around as if Tatsuki would pop up out of nowhere.

"Ah, she had to go to karate club today, something about beating her arch rival…" Orihime said patting her frazzled hair down.

Ichigo frowned, he didn't' like it.

First of all, he felt very odd around Kagome. Second, Orihime just had to show up and hog Kagome's attention. Third, He was being ignored, and last of all, he was acting like a huge jealous boyfriend! Ichigo grumbled as he turned in his futon. Kagome and Orihime had taken up the entire bed with Kon sandwiched between them. To tell the truth, he was feeling a bit lonely. Even though it had only been a day, he had gotten very attached to the small girl sleeping on the bed next to him. Kagome had put most of her attention onto him, and no one else.

He nearly jumped up when there was a sudden shifting on the futon next to him. A small shady figure in a white dress was walking out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. Figuring that it was probably Kagome and she was going to pee, he waited…and waited. Frowning, Ichigo got up. Exactly what was taking her so long? Upon opening the door he was surprised to see the bathroom door open. Walking over to the door, he knocked softly even though it was partly open. When he didn't receive an acknowledgement, Ichigo got slightly worried.

True, Kagome was a bit of a ditz at times, like when she left the oven on for over an hour, but she wasn't mean. His heart skipped a beat upon entry. There was blood all over the tile floor, staining the white concrete in-between a light pink. Kagome herself was lying on the floor next to the tub; her head seemed to have hit the rim of the tub as she fell. "Kagome… Kagome!" he shouted in frenzy as he picked her up. Ichigo noted how light and hot she felt, as if she was a small flower left standing in the sunlight for too long. "Dad, Dad! Kagome needs help!" Ichigo cried. Her cut had seemed to reopen he noted to himself.

Damn it! He knew it wasn't good for her to walk or run too much, that was why they had ridden on the bus in the first place! But he just had to drag her halfway through the city and reopen her slash. She was so small, and the fever was eating her up… the fool!

Ishin opened the door to see an enraged Ichigo holding Kagome. His eyes immediately noticed how her side seemed to be bleeding heavily. The next thing he noticed, being a father, was how protectively Ichigo seemed to be holding her, and how angry his eyes seemed to be. "Calm down son, your anger won't make her any better," Ishin soothed.

"Now, let's get her lying on a bed, so I can see how bad it actually is." Ichigo nodded and stalked into his own room.

"Orihime, do you mind getting up?" he asked with his eyes hidden behind his bangs. Her eyes widened briefly before she got up. Orihime looked at her childhood friend and her eyes teared up.

She asked tentivley, "She'll be fine right?"

Without saying a word, Ichigo nodded. Just then Ishin rushed in. "Sorry, put could you bring me a bowl of hot water, and get Yuzu to get a needle and thread." Orihime nodded and turned around. She had to help her, even if it wasn't very much!

FOUR HOURS LATER

Ichigo sighed. It had been a tough four hours. Kagome's heart nearly stopped beating twice, and it seemed that she was also internally bleeding. Things just felt… odd. It was the first time he had felt so worried for someone, even with Rukia, there was a reason to why he was worried. He had only known this girl for a day, and the thought of her dying terrified him more than anything. It was the first time ever that his other side was angry at someone else's pain, and not it's own. Ichigo reached out for her hand, seeking out that reassuring warmth that meant she was alive, that she was there with him.

"Don't you dare die," he threatened as he intertwined his fingers with hers once again. As the night wore on, he found himself less imbedded in his thoughts and getting drowsier. His eyes drifted shut of their own accord, and in his sleep his hand twitched and gave a squeeze, as if making sure that the warmth of her hand hadn't disappeared.

Bleary eyes opened to the sight of moonlight streaming in through the window. It wasn't very bright, but still shining in through the large window. Her side felt a bit bruised, but not the roaring pain it had been when she had first woken up. She had gotten up when she couldn't take the magma burning inside of her, and went to the bathroom so she could safely check her slash. It had been burning all through dinner, and she had the distinct feeling Ishin was a bit worried about her. He was very kind; she could see where Ichigo and Yuzu had gotten it from, even Karin with her awkward kindness. As she had reached the bathroom, the magma erupted and she was lost in a world of darkness and heat.

A while after, she felt something cool on her forehead. Kagome tried to protest when it disappeared, only to find she couldn't. She had the vague feeling of being picked up. It was dark and hot, and scary. But the feeling of an indistinguishable aura that was a bit overprotective calmed her a bit. It radiated around her, and never left, as if it was guarding her.

Even though it was dark, she knew it was sometime later that the other auras had left. One certain aura stayed though, even when she was lost twice and thought that she wanted to give up and let the flame consume her. Though she couldn't speak or see, or even hear, she could feel. There was a rough and calloused hand that had held onto hers, as if trying to hold her there. It was a gentle touch, and Kagome thought it felt familiar. The memory of a certain carrot top holding her hand earlier nearly made her smile physically, Ichigo….

Kagome's eyes widened as she saw him. He was sleeping with his head on her stomach, his hand entwined with hers. She smiled gently at his sleeping face. He looked a bit worried, and the usual scowl was on his face, but he radiated peace. "He's so cute…" she mumbled to herself as she felt her eyelids getting heavy. Kagome slunk down deeper into the bed so his head was lying on her breasts as she fell asleep, cherishing the moment.

Ichigo yawned as he opened his eyes. The pillow was really soft, like a cloud. He reclosed them and snuggled in deeper. He frowned a bit when he felt it move. Ichigo opened his eyes and was bout to protest when he caught sight of Kagome. It turned out that the pillow was her breasts….. He sat up and watched as she opened her eyes from sitting up and blinked at him.

"You alright?" he asked her when she looked a bit dazed.

Kagome nodded her head. Ichigo's moving had woken her up, and her head felt very heavy. She looked around a bit dazedly and realized the room was Ichigo's room. Her arms leaned against the bed as a support as she tried to stand up. She swung her legs over the edge as her arms shook under the weight.

Ichigo reached out just as he saw that her arms were going to buckle. He helped her stand up and take her first two steps in about forty hours. Kagome gave him a bright smile when he let go. Ichigo looked away blushing. He cursed himself, 'What the hell's wrong with me?!' he asked himself as Kagome toddled around.

A small tugging at his sleeves made him look down. Kagome was wondering who had stayed by her side all night. The aura wasn't totally pure, but mixed with darkness. Like a light and shadows, you couldn't take one away without taking the other. When he finally looked down though, she found herself unable to talk.

"Yes?"

Kagome shook her head embarrassed; he'd consider her psycho if she talked about auras and everything. "I'm a bit hungry, can we go downstairs?" she asked as her stomach gave a loud rumble of agreement. Kagome looked down and blushed as he led her down the stairs. Today she found herself wanting even more to hold his hand. Kagome looked away; she couldn't believe that she wanted that from him. "Today is going to be a long day…." She mumbled to herself as they descended the stairs.

Ichigo was ticked off. His want to hold her had only gotten stronger after last night. He hadn't really considered her frailty that night the hollow attacked. Kagome had survived, which meant that she was strong. Because of that he had begun to imagine her more like him than human. Last night was just proof that she was a fragile human, like Orihime.

Kagome sighed to herself. Ichigo had gone to his part time job that was from eight to four in the morning four hours ago. She felt as if she tied to him, and that she was calling out for him. It scared her. The last time she felt like that was with Inuyasha, but she had only been rejected. Ichigo though, he was different it seemed.

His farewell was a hurried one, but it made her a bit sad. It was a bit sad how farewell was actually a promise to never meet again, but she kept that to herself. True they had met by chance, but her heart still felt as if it was calling out for him.

He was filled with both light and darkness, and she could sense for it seemed that he was fighting himself deep inside for some reason. Kagome closed her eyes. She prayed that one day the turmoil would end. As she thought of him, her loneliness ebbed, replaced by gentle courage instead. He was a mystery, but the fact that he was fighting himself unveiled him to her a bit. Kagome smiled to herself and sang a song that she had just put together.

_Sono toki kaze ga ugoita  
Kokoro ni hoshi ga umareta  
Kimi ni deatte unmei wa  
Oto o tatete hashiri dashita._

_(Back then when the wind was blowing,  
A star was born in my heart  
The fate that was meeting you,  
The sound built up and started to run...)_

_Kizutsuki taoreta yoru mo  
Hizashi o mitsuketa asa mo  
Kimi no hikari to kage sae mo  
Mi mamoritai itsumo soba de._

_(The night that I was wounded and fell,  
The morning I found the sun's rays,  
Even your light and shadows,  
Wanting to watch over me, always at my side.)_

_Sou kanashii mirai ga  
Aru to shitara kakikaeru wa  
Kako yori  
daiji na ima o dakishime._

_(If there's a sad future,  
I'll rewrite it,  
Rather than the past,  
Embrace the cherished present.)_

_Tashika na omoi wa  
Nagare sae mo kaete yukeru  
Shinjiru tsuyosa ga  
Ashita o tsukuru chikara._

_(Even certain feelings that flow  
Will begin to change,  
Believe the strength,  
The power that creates tomorrow.)_

_Sayonara wa iwanai  
Tatta hitotsu dake yakusoku o  
Ima surechigau toki o koe  
Eien ga kitto koko ni aru  
Tada futari no kokoro ni zutto._

_(Don't say farewell  
That's just one promise,  
Now we meet each other, crossing over time  
Eternity will surely be here,  
Just two hearts, always.)_

_Hanarete aenai toki mo  
Kimochi ga tsunagaru dare ka  
Sore wa shirazu ni yobi atte  
Meguri atta aite da yo ne?_

_(Even when we're apart and can't be together,  
My feelings are tied to someone;  
Without knowing that, they call out,  
It's the one I met by chance, isn't it?)_

_Sou hitori de iru hi mo  
Hitomi tojite inoru dake de  
Fushigi to chikaku ni kimi o kanjiru  
Jibun to tatakau kimi no koto o omou dake de  
Shizuka na yuuki ga mune ni waite kuru yo._

_(There's still days I'm alone,  
And I just close my eyes and pray,  
I feel the mystery and you nearby,  
I think of you, fighting against yourself,  
Gentle courage wells up in my heart.)_

_Namida yori egao o  
Tatta hitotsu dake erabu kara,  
Moshimo doko e iku hi ga kitemo,  
Mayowazu ni kitto tsuiteiku  
Tada muchu de ikiteku zutto._

_(Rather than tears, a smiling face  
Is the one choice to make,  
So if the day that I'm heading for comes,  
Without losing my way, I'll surely follow along,  
Just wrapped up in going on living, always.)_

_Koko ga ima doko de attemo  
Moshimo asu doko e ittemo  
Itsudatte watashi de iyou  
Mae o mukaita mama de._

_(If here is where the present is,  
If tomorrow is where I'm going,  
I'm always going to be there,  
Facing whatever's ahead of me.)_

_Sayonara wa iwanai  
Tatta hitotsu dake yakusoku o  
Ima surechigau toki o koe  
Eien ga kitto koko ni aru.__._

_(Don't say farewell  
That's just one promise,  
Now we meet each other, crossing over time  
Eternity will surely be here.)_

_Namida yori egao o  
Tatta hitotsu dake erabu kara,  
Moshimo doko e iku hi ga kitemo,  
Mayowazu ni kitto tsuiteiku._

_(Rather than tears, a smiling face  
Is the one choice to make,  
So if the day that I'm heading for comes,  
Without losing my way, I'll surely follow you.)_

_Tada muchu de hashitte.  
Tada muchu de ikiteku zutto._

_(Just wrapped up in running,  
Just wrapped up in going on living, always.)_

Ichigo stared at Kagome as she softly sang. Her voice was heavenly when she sang. Kagome seemed to have heard his soft steps on the terracotta roof. She turned around and smiled at him. He smiled back. It was odd how even though he normally came back drunk after partying with Renji and Ikaku, but it seemed as if it wasn't the case this time.

Kagome stood up and turned around. She was a bit surprised to see him up so late, thought the same could've been said about her she reasoned to herself, and walked over to him. She immediately recoiled and tried not to regurgitate what she had last eaten when she smelt his reeking breath that absolutely _stank_ of alcohol. "YOU"RE _DRUNK_!!!!!????" she shrieked in shock. Ichigo tilted his head a bit in confusion. Was it he? Kagome took his arm and dragged him into his room seeing how he didn't seem to be able to walk on his own and how he didn't seem to _want_ to.

Ichigo sagged a bit, and the extra weight had Kagome toppling onto the bed with a small squeal of surprise. Because she was the main support for him, he toppled onto her. Kagome gave a weak eep in surprise and backed up until her head was in the pillows after noticing exactly where he _was_ and where his _head_ was. Ichigo lazily crawled up to her, sliding in between her thighs and up her belly before resting his head on her chest as he slowly but surely wrapped his arms around her. All was quiet except for Kagome's heartbeat thundering in her ears.

Looking down she blushed. He was… cute as he snuggled up to her. She let a smile crossover her face as she looked at him as he gave a little mumble and held her even tighter. Ichigo was once again in a state of peaceful sleeping. Kagome frowned to herself. How was she supposed to turn off the lights? She gave him a little push, nope too heavy.

'What am I going to do, I can't sleep like this!' Kagome mentally screamed to herself when he suddenly rolled off of her. "Huh… well I guess that solves the problem." She mumbled as she sat up using her elbows. She stood up and tottered over to the light switch. Sighing to herself, she moved over to the futon and was about to lay down when a rough hand reached out to wrap around her waist witch effectively brought her down onto the bed. She blushed as Ichigo brought her even closer to him and cuddled up to her. Kagome laid her forehead on his chest as he softly snored. It felt so… nice being with him like this.

She sighed as she closed her eyes, 'I shouldn't like you this much…' she thought to herself. Kagome stayed like that for a while, simply reveling in being like this with someone for the first time. As the moon went down, Kagome finally closed her eyes and let herself drift off into sleep.

It was sometime later when Ichigo woke up. He was holding onto Kagome and he knew he should've let go, but he didn't want to. It was nice and comfortable laying there next to her. When her breath quickened and she started to shift, he finally let go of her and got up.

Yawning, he made his way downstairs for breakfast. Ichigo had long gotten used to waking up after only an hour of sleep, though an hour only would make him a murderous grouch so having about four of them put him in an approachable state. Opening the fridge and getting a glass of milk he walked over to the table in a sleepy haze.

"Oh hi Ichigo," Rukia greeted him standing at the door of the kitchen behind him.

Ichigo nodded and turned around to put the glass in the sink only to drop it onto the floor. "R-R-Rukia! What are _you_ doing _here_?!?!?!" He stammered fully awake. She frowned and gave him a pointed look.

"I'm here to check on the girl." Rukia stated looking off in the other direction.

"Well she's sleeping so-"he was cut off by a sudden, "Who's sleeping?" Apparently Kagome got up after only hours of sleep as well, because she was standing at the entrance to the kitchen through the living room side. She squinted a bit as she looked at the black haired girl standing in the kitchen. That girl looked familiar, now what was her name again?

Suddenly realizing how impolite she must've been looking, Kagome gave a small bow and apologized. "Hello, my name is Kagome Higurashi."

"I already know tha-"Rukia was silenced by a glare from Ichigo. Right, it would've been odd if she knew the girl, erm Kagome's, name before she knew hers. Giving Ichigo thumbs up, she bowed in return, "My name is Rukia Kuchiki, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"No, no! It's my pleasure to meet you Kuchiki-san!" Kagome bowed flustered and deciding to ignore the thumbs up.. It had been ages since someone had been so polite to her in such a formal way! When Kagome came back up, she gave Kuchiki-san a smile and asked, "Is there anything you'd like for breakfast Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia pondered that for a minute before responding. "A rice omelet would be good." Kagome nodded and went to work preparing a rice omelet and remembering that Rukia-san enjoyed rice omelets. Her brow furrowing, Rukia dragged Ichigo by the ear into the living room.

"Where have you been Ichigo?! Renji came home half dead and another half drunk!!!!!!!!" Rukia shouted causing the house to shake and Kagome, who was still in the kitchen, to peek out of the door a bit worried and shocked.

"Ano…Is everything all right?" Kagome asked a bit worried.

"Everything's fine, no problem Kagome-san," Rukia replied putting on another of her innocent acts.

"Oh… Okay," she smiled as she reentered the kitchen shaking her head a bit in confusion and her brows still knitted together.

Both shinigami made sure the miko was out of earshot before speaking again. "Where were you?! Renji came back drunk as a seasoned alcoholic and Ikaku was found wasted in the alleys of district twelve!!" Rukia whispered furiously.

"I was here all night," Ichigo replied somewhat blandly.

"That's not what I meant orange face!"

"What?! Say it again your royal brattiness!" Both glared at each other, unwilling to break the stare until a sudden, "Breakfast ready!" came from the kitchen. Almost like a mini tornado, Karin raced past the two of them and into the dining room. Next came the slug crawling and wobbling over to the table with wobbly legs and stubble adorning his face. Sighing, Ichigo scratched the back of his head and headed into the dining room.

His jaw nearly hit the floor in surprise of all of the food laid out on the table. There were pancakes, muffins, soup, oatmeal, and any other breakfast foods you could find on a six by four foot table! Ichigo continued to stare in dazed amazement along with all of the others gathered around the table. Kagome came out wiping her washed hands onto her short green skirt. "Erm… sorry, but I didn't know what kind of foods you guys like besides Miss Kuchiki…" she apologized a bit nervously when they all stared at her with large bubbly eyes.

All at once they tried to reassure her. "NO, It's perfectly_ fine_!!!" "What are you talking about?! Are you stupid?! This is better than Ichigo's cooking!!" "It all looks so yummy!!" "Uh…. This looks good." "Wow, how'd you make all this in an hour?" Kagome rubbed the back of her head a bit nervously. "Well, don't just stand there, eat it before it gets bad." No one looked as if they were about to object as they started stuffing their faces with food.

Ichigo and Kagome sighed as they started the dishes. Ichigo sighed because Kagome had demanded to do the dishes, but she had already cooked the best breakfast he probably ever had. Kagome sighed because of her full belly and the drowsiness that came with it. She blinked as her eyes started to droop; she had to stay….awake….

Ichigo felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck and something hard and oddly smooth slumped against his side. Daringly looking down, he noticed Kagome had fallen asleep….standing _up_, of all things. He gave another weary sigh as he turned off the faucet and bent down to pick her up. She was very small in his arms, like a fragile porcelain doll. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was open the smallest bit to allow her to exhale in her exhausted sleep. As he finally got to his room, he was faced with a bit of a problem. Ichigo was holding Kagome with two arms… and he didn't have another to open the door.

Awkwardly he tried to bend down some more to reach the door and found his face closer to Kagome's chest than he should've been. Straightening up, he took a deep breath preparing himself to bend down once more and not wake Kagome up. Bracing himself, he bent as low as he could and grasped the doorknob with his teeth. Ichigo clenched them together tightly as he twisted his head to open the door. When it finally opened, he dried to pry his teeth out of their death grip only to find, that he couldn't. Panicking, he pulled even more, twisting his head a little bit. He was stuck to the doorknob like a mouse on a mousetrap!

Sweat running down his face; he pulled even more hoping that his teeth would come out of the latch, no such luck. To make it worse, the girl in his was beginning to wake up…

Kagome flexed her finger and tried to sit up only to find she couldn't. Opening her eyes, she saw a white t-shirt. She blinked even more furiously confused. Noticing the unmistakable orange hair, she turned to where his head was currently positioned. Her lungs nearly burst at the scene that met her eyes. His face was stuck on the doorknob! Tears were running down her cheeks as she silently laughed, not even able to summon up the ability to be mad at him being so close to her chest.

Finally, Kagome decided to stop laughing and help the poor guy. Placing her hand on his bottom jaw, she gently pulled down not wanting to tear his mouth in half as she pulled right at the same time. Finally after what felt like an eternity to Ichigo, his jaw was removed from the doorknob.

"I won't tell if you won't tell how I fell asleep."

"Deal," Ichigo agreed readily and quickly.

"Well, school's starting tomorrow…I think I need a new uniform if I'm going to your school," Kagome told him as she descended the stairs. Giving an annoyed sigh, he followed shaking his head a bit.

"Eh Ichigo, where're you going today?" Karin asked as she nudged a whining Yuzu in the ribs.

Stepping out the door, he gave a brief, "Out," before closing it. Kagome blinked as the sun shone on her face regretting not bringing sun glasses or at least a hat. When they finally reached the shop Kagome quirked her brow in confusion, which uniform was she supposed to wear? "Ichigo, which one's the right uniform?" she asked as she walked back out of the store to ask. Apparently he didn't think the store was right for a guy to walk in if he didn't want to be mistaken as…. Well, she got the point.

"The gray one with the red ribbon and a plaid gray skirt," Ichigo replied not even looking over at her. Kagome knitted her brows a bit annoyed and blew a raspberry at him right before shutting the store door and going back in.

"Um, I'd like to buy this one," Kagome told the cashier pointing at the uniform Ichigo had mentioned.

"Ah, so you're going to _that_ school," the blondie replied as she rang Kagome's order.

"Yes, why? What's wrong with it?"

Glancing over to the side the ganguro replied, "Well, there's this one girl with huge boobs, like totally huge. Than there's this nerdy stitching creep with glasses, then there's this one big Mexican dude who's huge. And last of all is this rude orange haired dude. I think he's on drugs or something'. And there's a new girl whose been seen with him, she must be a real dull to think there's something in him."

Kagome smiled brightly, "You shouldn't say such bad stuff about people you _ganguro_," she finished with an outraged snarl.

"What you bitch?!"

"You're completely rude and stereo typing people!"

"Hah, so you're the new skank in town trying to talk like that to _me_?!"

Kagome bristled even more, "Say that again you whore!"

"Bitch!"

"Thanks!"

"What?!"

"Well, a bitch is a girl dog, and dogs are a part of nature, and nature's pretty!"

"What kind of stupid thinking is that?!"

Kagome snarled, "Well at least I _can_ think unlike some _ganguro_!" as she grabbed her purchase and stormed out.

Ichigo backed away from Kagome came out of the store positively flaming. "C'mon let's go." She paused, "Know any batting stations around here?" Ichigo nodded afraid to speak in fear of occurring her wrath onto him. He led her through the city until they reached the batting rinks near the school.

Kagome put all of her rage into her swings. _'Who did she think she was?! That ugly, stupid, skanky, annoying, rude, ganguro!!!!! If only I could purify her!'_ she shouted mentally to her self as her bats became increasingly harder.

Ichigo watched a bit worriedly. Kagome never did this before, but at least she wasn't putting her anger onto him! His eyes softened a bit as he watched her. "Something must have really upset her," he mumbled to himself as she started batting even harder.

Kagome finally stopped when the sun started to set. She took off her batting helmet as she exited the batting cage. The sweat of straining herself was visible on her forehead as she reached Ichigo thinking he was asleep.

"Done yet?" he asked causing Kagome to jump a bit in surprise.

"Uh, yes I'm done for now," Ichigo stretched as he got up. Women and their odd ways would always confuse him.

!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!))!)!)!)!)!)!)!))!!))!)!!)!)!)!)

"Ichigo, WAKE UP!!!" Kagome shouted into his ear devilishly happy to see him nearly have a heart attack.

"Nnnn?" he grumbled rolling over.

"It's time to wake up, unless you want to be late," Kagome scolded as she disappeared out the door and down the stairs. Shaking his head, Ichigo stretched as he stood up.

"Stupid school," he mumbled to himself regretting wishing for it to come sooner at the beginning of the school year. It was boring at the beginning of break, but now it was…fun, Ichigo nearly shuddered. "I'm losing my mind at such a young age…"

Kagome smiled to herself. She was glad she had woken up before Ichigo seeing how they were positioned on the bed. He was pretty much a shackling her to him all night long unaware of doing so. She giggled to herself sensing Ichigo's annoyed glare at her back.

As they neared the school, she saw a certain dark haired tom-boy. "Tatsuuukiiiii!!!!" Kagome shouted in glee waving her hands in the air joyfully. She could tell Tat-chan hadn't recognized her at first, but could see the look spreading across her face.

Tatsuki charged at Kagome, "Where've you been?! It's been three years and not a single call or letter!" she pretty much snarled at Kagome.

"I've been very sick," Kagome replied nervously bending backwards at he glare Tat-chan was currently giving her.

"Kagome, Tatsuki!!" a feminine voice called out. Orihime was running towards them with her hands waving in the air.

Kagome paled knowing with Hime-chan's luck…and her ditzyness, she'd likely trip and fall over. She waved her hands frantically unsure of what to do to stop her. When Orihime finally reached her, Kagome smiled and dragged her up the few steps. "Come on Hime-chan! I want to see which classes I have to get to!" Kagome paused suddenly as she felt _something_ spark off of Orihime. 'What is that?' she wondered silently letting a small frown mar her features for a moment.

"Chi… what's wrong?" Orihime asked upon seeing Kagome's frown.

"Eh…? Oh, nothing…" Kagome replied smiling again throwing Orihime off, but not a certain shinigami substitute. "What's with the Chi?"

Tatsuki jumped up in front of Kagome and laughed, "Remember when you had that_ huge_ Chobits episode where you pretty much loved and worshipped Chi and Hideki?" she teased causing the miko to blush furiously.

"Oh, that's the bell, wouldn't want to be late now would we?!" Kagome scrambled stubbornly ignoring the amused snickers coming from behind her.

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Kagome sighed as the last bell of the day finally wrung its ominous tune. A shout from Tatsuki made her jump in fright.

"Yo Kagome!"

"H-Hai Suki-chan?" Kagome replied trying to calm herself down.

"You think you can come with me to the park?"

"Hmmm? What is it?"

"Well my dog, Jingoro sort of ran off and I was wondering if you could help me search for him."

"Oh, okay I guess, I just have to tell Ichigo that-!"

"Don't worry, I told him already!" Tatsuki waved her hand carelessly while dragging Kagome out behind her.

"Jingoro, where are you?" Kagome called out.

"Jingoro come here boy!" Tatsuki screamed out and then sullenly sighed. " I was afraid of this… we're too late."

"Too…late? What are you not telling me Suki-chan?"

Turning to face Kagome, Tatsuki's brow furrowed. "Lately there's been a string of incidents in which dogs have been found beheaded."

"Beheaded….?"

Tatsuki made a small sound of agreement, "The first one was found about a week ago in this very park. After further investigation the police learned the dog belonged to a woman named Taoka…but when they went to Taoka's house they found her brutally murdered. I don't know if her death was connected to the death of her dog…. But the murders are still at large. I'm worried that Jingoro has fallen into the same hands of that sadistic psycho…"

A sudden rustling of the leaves made them turn to look at it. Suddenly out of the bushes popped out a small yellow lab mix. "Jingoro boy, you're okay!" Tatsuki smiled running over to him.

Kagome shivered something was wrong with the dog! "Tatsuki!!!! Watch out, no come back!" she shouted just as Jingoro leapt at her and Kagome crashed into Tatsuki throwing her off balance. About six feet away Jingoro was snarling and frothing at the mouth. "Jingoro… what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?!"

_**"Jingoro calm down… you do not want to hurt us…" **_Kagome chanted only to realize he wasn't backing down. _'Kotodama doesn't work…as I suspected, he's possessed by another spirit…' _she mentally hissed at herself. "Tatsuki, find a long sharp stick for me!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!" Kagome ordered as Tatsuki ran off.

"You're not going to be able to do it," a rather nasal voice laughed from above her.

"Just who the heck are you?"

"None of your bee's wax."

"Humph, I can do this myself!" Kagome grumbled, "I have one special trick up my sleeve!" With an over dramatic flourish, she pulled out…. A dog food can. "C'mon have some food Jingoro!"

Amused laughter made her look up. "Did you really expect the dog to bring its own container?!" the thing laughed endlessly. Suddenly straightening up he snarled, "What are you thinking, you can't tempt an **Inugami** with food!"

"I see, it's an **Inugami** is it?" Kagome took a deep breath, "You bury a dog up to its neck… and leave food just out of reach, taunting him as he starves. Then, just before he dies, you cut off his head… and bury it in a populated area. If you then worship the spirit, it will come to you as an **Inugami**. The more you loved the dog in life, the better he will serve you in death…. As a tool for revenge! I'm guessing that that Taoka-san attempted to create an Inugami to take revenge on someone. Being such an amateur at such things… the process went awry and she created a vengeful spirit instead. Am I right dog?"

A low angry groan came from the dog as a black cloud formed around it, _"I am an agent of revenge… Revenge against those arrogant humans who for their own selfish ends… Would gladly take the life of the one most loyal to them!"_ It snarled as it finally formed into a dark headless dog.

Kagome closed her eyes sadly, "Yes… maybe you're right. We humans can be truly selfish beings…and I do feel sorry for you…Who was cruelly taken away from this world and returned as a spirit. But…you chose to drag other peaceful dogs into your revenge…. And now you are nothing but a selfish, mad brute. For taking those innocent lives I cannot forgive you!" Kagome shouted prepared for when the dog jumped at her.

"You can't last forever on defense! Why does this stupid dog mean so much to you?! Just say the word and I'll become your Koma-oni again! Are these stupid humans so important to you?!" the man shouted only to halt in surprise when Kagome smiled.

"I too own a dog…. So I can understand how Tatsuki feels. My dog… can be quite self-centered, and he sure does eat a lot, but… he's still my best friend….come back….Inuyasha!" Kagome plead to him just as the dog lunged at her….

Only to be slammed down by a large horned dog surrounded by white flames. "Inu…yasha…"

_ "How sad… you… a great beast bowing to lowly humans!"_

_"Idiot! Why would I bow to mere humans?! The only one I serve… is Kagome!"_ he declared missing Kagome's muted, "Is that anything to be proud of?"

_"For trying to hurt her…I'll kick you're vindictive ass!" He snarled as he was about to kill the Inugami once more._

"Inuyasha, matte!"

_"Kagome?"_

She reached down to grab a hold of the collar still attached to the dog's headless neck and slipped it off. "You… loved your master…very much." Kagome paused in her speech as the dog gave a small whimper. "Her betrayal was all the more painful…. Because you loved and trusted her so deeply. You were so devastated by this…. That your rage turned you into a vengeful spirit. More than likely, your elderly master had lost her mind. But that does not excuse what she did to you. Still… for many years, I'm sure that she showed you much affection. Please do not forget that. 'Ami' that means 'friend'… she gave you a very good name…" Kagome smiled petting the dog as it returned to its form before decapitation as a sad lonely chow and vanished leaving behind a teary Kagome.

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"Yo."

"Oh…yo…" Kagome replied somewhat sullenly causing Ichigo to worry a bit. She had been quiet and unresponsive during dinner, and now she seemed all sullen and sad, which for some stupid reason bothered the shit out of him.

Sighing, he turned around so he was facing her, and was struck at how sad and lonely her side profile was. "You know…. If something's bothering you, you can just tell me." He paused as she gave him a puzzled look, "I mean, you seen very quiet and a bit sad, and it's not healthy to keep these things to yourself." He finished.

Kagome stared at him somewhat surprised. Inuyasha and the rest of her old group of friends had never seem to know or care about how she really felt, and they had been together for about two years! Now, here was Ichigo who she hadn't known for longer than a month trying to help her feel better. She was so sure she loved him, but today's brush with her past made her unsure about herself, what if he didn't want her? She gave a small sniff, "What if you had to do something that required completely getting rid of something else? Like for instance, to plant new flowers or crops you have to get rid of it and plant something new even though you might not like it."

He paused a while before speaking, "Well, if it's for the better of not only yourself, but for the ones you care about as well, I think it's for the best you take away the past, and replace it with the present. The past is gone, and the future will come soon enough, so we might as well enjoy today. We all have something to lose by getting close to people, so it's best to tell the truth and hope that in the end they don't give a shit about how different or creepy you might be." Kagome nodded a bit surprised at the amount of knowledge Ichigo seemed to posses.

Mentally bracing herself, Kagome turned to look at him. "I think I have something to tell you." she confessed trying to keep up her meager amount of courage. "Two years ago something really big happened to me, and now I'm sort of what is considered a freak nowadays." Ichigo gave her a bit of a questioning look before he felt a memorized type of aura. Cursing, he was about to make an excuse to leave before it attacked them when Kagome finally asked him, "You can feel that too can't you?"

He swallowed surprised and nodded. "Well, I have no idea on what to do about it at all, and I need someone to teach me exactly how." Ichigo flashed a sly grin before shouting, "Catch my body!"

Kagome was about to ask him what was wrong with his mind when something robed in black came out of him and he suddenly slumped onto the ground. She was about to draw on her ki when she realized the unmistakable orange hair on the figure's head. "Ichigo…?" came out a whispered question. In nearly no time at all, the grotesque black thing with a hole in its chest disappeared at a swipe of Ichigo's sword. She heard him give out a startled gasp before something rammed into his stomach causing him to slam into the paved street. Shouting his name Kagome was just about to jump down and get him when the thing popped up in front of her. Kagome felt her heart virtually stop for a second as the thing smiled. "Lookie here, a sweet little Quincy to feed on…"

"A what?" Kagome let out just as she suddenly felt herself shoved to the side causing her to give off a surprised gasp. "Ichigo what the-?!" She stopped as she saw the thing try to pry its hand out of where she had been standing just a second ago.

"That ugly dickhead's called a Hollow," Ichigo shouted as he once more lunged at the thing, Hollow Kagome corrected herself, only to be swept aside.

Ichigo nearly stopped breathing when he had managed to get himself out of the pavement only to find the Hollow only a foot away from Kagome. Something inside him snapped when he saw how terrified she was only to hide it, though she never seemed to be truly able to hide it from him. Ichigo shoved both her and his body to the ground as the rat Hollow took a swipe at her. He had lunged forward ready to take it down again when it appeared out of fucking nowhere and swiped him to the side like he was Kon!

Kagome panicked as she saw the Hollow approach Ichigo and raise it's claw for the finishing blow over his unconscious body. Clasping her hands together, she whispered in the language of the Kami. A silver blue bow appeared in her left hand, touching the center of the spirit work bow, she drew it back. Praying to all the gods known and unknown, she let the arrow fly and wised for a perfect shot. Just as the Hollow was about to take his life, the arrow struck it's err, Kagome blushed nine shades of red, as the hollow's crotch caught on miko flame. As the vile thing finally disappeared, Kagome ran up to Ichigo and pulled him up. He was battered and bruised but he was seemingly fine except for the long bleeding wounds on his back and chest.

Groaning under his weight, Kagome dragged him back into his body, and groaned even louder as she dragged him into the house and back upstairs. She guessed the rest of the Kurosaki's either didn't care to see what was causing her to groan as she pulled him up the stairs, or they were already asleep. She let out one finally groan as she pulled him into the bed and took off his shirt blushing all the while. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she continued to chant an ancient healing rite that would heal him, but cause him to be extremely tired for the next two days. _'Great, already losing two days of school and it's only begun too,'_ she grumbled to herself as she waited for Ichigo to regain consciousness.

He finally gave a deep tired grunt as he opened his eyes. "It seems we've switched places, ne Ichigo?" Kagome joked lightheartedly.

"I feel like I was stampede by an army of fricking cows…" he muttered as he sat up. Kagome laughed and bent over to give him a quick peck on the lips. Ichigo felt his face heat up as she moved away. "What was that for?"

"Nothing really, but for saving my life and getting yourself hurt," Kagome replied.

"No, why are you so forward suddenly?" Ichigo asked as he felt Kagome snuggle up to him in bed.

"I've realized that even I deserve some happiness with the one I love."

Ichigo stared at her incredulously as she closed her eyes and lay next to him. Smiling gleefully he teased, "If I get hurt again saving your sorry butt Kagome, does that mean another kiss?"

"Don't count on it lover boy." She murmured tiredly.

Shrugging his shoulders he bent down at face level with Kagome, "Then I'll have to take measures into my own hands," he mused just before giving her an insistent kiss as his hand crawled under her top causing her to give off a small moan.

"I think I know what to do with the next two days…" she groaned as he gave her neck a sharp bite only to soothe it with his tongue.

"Yeah, make five instead," he breathed onto her neck momentarily.

"Deal."

~!~!~!~!~!~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!

So, what do you think? I was writing the bed scene and was really embarrassed, so when my sell phone rang I nearly died of a heart attack. I know this is a really long one-shot, but thank you for reading until the end!

~Tsuki no Tennyo


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